Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-01

and I'll stake my bar I'll win yer more
money in night than yer can pick up
| with paint brush IN year,"
Wien jim recovered bis senses, which
no do in the back parlor of the saloon,
| NJ found himself considerably damaged
in reputation as well ss pocket; and he
was also confronted by the gloomy fea-
lures of mis- backer, VINO wanted to know
what he was going To do about that $40.
To this question Jim was able to frame
no plausible reply, and he was feeling
/ sadly embarrassed, when relief came from
g most unexpected quarter.
'tIill lend you ten dollars" said John
! taking his newly WOE money from mis-
F.. packet with the air OF capitalist. "TI
lend it 10 you on that diamond pin you
wear in your necktie. A month from
now you give me fifteen dollars or I keep
the pin. VIII YOU DO itt''
"He'n DO it," said the bartender, with
4 wink at the others. "Thst pin didn't
cost him nothin', guess" In fact Jim's
! PRINCIPLES were not believed u be or
thodoX. b that as it may; ne accepted
! his conQucrOT's offer with something like
gratitude; the pin and the bank note
changed hands, and it may be stated here
that the former was never redeemed. It
was good stone and John disposed of Z
ct the enc Of the month loT sc.
/ This episode changed the direction OF
the young mans life. lie didrCt become
prize fighter, for it Wss discovered that
ne WAS too heavy tor s lightweight and
too short for & heavyweight: but re
thenceforth sought the society Of the
friends of the ring end of TIE ace track
and OF "sports' of all kinds. Ee betted
carefully and with Judgment, end won
much more than he lost. But his chief
hobby and that which brought him in the
largest 6nd surest returns, was loaning
small sums to friends in embarrassment
on the security Of their ieWelry. lie Was
taken in once or twice by paste imits-
tions; but he look great pains 10 become
good Judge of stones: and was soon
beyond being imp osed OF. As might lie
expected, many of his associates made
their living by methods obnoxious
to the law and John could not but be
aware that the reason they were willing
10 pledge their personal ad0rnments at
at so reasonable rate was that the only
outlay they mad made on them was c rup-
! ture of the Eighth Commandment. But
he also reflected that the lawful owner
of the property would be no worse of for
! IT'S having been transferred TO him, and
that every one else concerned would Ce
| benefited thereby. He never did any
conveying" himself, though whether on
moral grounds or for reasons of prudence
and expediency we need not inquire. But
/ bv degrees he became sort Of walking
pawnshop, his habit Of restricting his
! transactions to diamonds and other
| precious stones enabling him
to carry all his stock in trade
about his person; and later, he
relegated paWnbrokIng 20 the second
! place il his business, and let it be under
stood that whatsoever had good stones TO
sell would be sure to tnd en- easy and
! trUstW OTthy customer in MIN; he bought
/ them outright, and afterwards sold them
again, sometimes TO the same persons on
! the installment plan. II the installments
were not paid regularly he fOreciOsed.
| Yet he was not ShylOCk; though he had
the reputation OF being keen aud resO-
! lutte man OF business, ne was also held to
/ be kindly at bottom, ami even generous
! upon occasions. Thus he YVES the most
popUlSr man in his peculiar line Of in
! dustry. and as he was uniformly fOrtu-
nate in his transactions he presently
found himself growing ric5.
It was then that ne made Up mis- mind
to modify his roaming life so far as to
rent shop and spend the greater part of
| the day in it, But at dusk, when other
men Of business went home to rest, ! ohm
D. Grady would issue from his door with
g well-WoIn black sstchel in his hand and
! pursue his way &c the shady quarters of
the town, or, occasionally and with Ger
! tain precautions. to more fashionable
neighborhoods. Whichever way ne went,
and although he received 8 fair number OF
bona fde customers at his shop, it was on
these nocturnal expeditions that by far
larger portion of Grady's transactions
were effectde. 1t was then that his most
! important sales as well IS mis- heaviest
! purchases were made. GnG it Wss then,
/ doubtless, inst tne arrangements were
/ entered INTO which involved further spec
! Il a-iUuS
There vas no good reason, so lar SIS
snF one knew, why GrsdY should nave
! preferred to tramp ubeut IN this manner
instead OF sitting quietly and safely at
nome and letting tho world come TO bim.
( Ga the other h&uo- there were plenty Of
! excellent reasons vhv be should pursue
( the Latter course livery night Of his
/ lie Re rsr ,isks to which probably nc
! NeT msE II New York would have
/ dreamed Of exposing himself. With scores
! 81 l11Ugspe o. CollsEs' worth 81 disG ends
I IL Ms secbeL a.. q pockets, he would pCre-
( trs.e feeEessly rno alone IL
/ to the very woTEt QEGrtsE 5
! OF the city. How ne escaped
murder, c. -crrC-v 81 less, VIZ s'fAn-
( luS marvel. True, n Vss now d. g
! friend-st any rstc a. : convenience %
/ The crooked portion 0. the Ccnnunitv;
and aisO is mGL OF nerve g-G Drawn,
/ ECt II E great city there srA sjWags
| despersooes enough &c coDlU,is snJ yciDe
for the bereh. or CD tao temptation OF
the moment, ami without thinking or
caring about ultimate results. LCr
would the impUlsiveress OF such PERSONS
be lessened by the vel. known laut tat
Grady carried no other WeSpOc thCu =
broeG.blsded knife. which lie Eert II lis
right sleeve.
Probably Grady could nave given no
better explanation of his foolharoy con
duct than that II was his hunOr to GO so,
and that the vagsD bond habits Of his esTly
life were too strongly fixed upon MIN to
be cast aside. His confidence Wss SO iar
justified that he never,so far as IS known,
came to grief save once, when he was
garroted by couple of footpads belong
ing to the "Swamp Ange's'i gang and
$4,000 worth of diamonds were taken
from his satchel. But be took his mis-
hap philosophically, admitting that he
had brought 1t upon himself, 6nG remark